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Panel targets prom night drinking
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By Christopher Smith
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Photo by Christopher Smith
County Executive Andrew Spano addresses the audience and fellow panel memberships at last week’s discussion on prom night drinking.
Westchester County government officials, law enforcement, school administrators, parents, and students met for a panel discussion about keeping teenagers from abusing alcohol and drugs during proms and graduations, the result of a joint effort between the offices of the district attorney and the county executive.
“This is a hard issue. All your help is needed,” said County Executive Andrew Spano during his opening remarks.
Among the highlights of the evening were a series of public service announcements produced by the Teen Drinking Action Coalition and a short talk by two of its members.
“We need you to be adults and parents first, not friends,” said Dylan Pine, a senior at Edgemont High School, to the roomful of parents.
Panelists repeatedly said that some parents view going to the prom and graduating high school as rites of passage during which it is acceptable to let teenagers drink to celebrate their impending adulthood.
“Parents need to change mentalities. We need to do everything we can to protect them,” said Tom Meier, the director of Westchester County STOP-DWI.
“We’re talking about keeping them alive,” added Kathy Tepp, manager of Westchester Medical Center’s trauma program. “They can receive devastating injuries.”
District Attorney Janet DiFiore explained that prevention comes best from ongoing dialogue among parents and children, parents and their community, and local communities with the county government.
Police work, for instance, involves coordinating among Westchester’s 46 local municipalities, the county, and the state police to setup alcohol checkpoints, investigate house parties, and form “saturation patrols” in high-risk areas, according to County Police Captain John Hodges.
“As long as we have kids drinking, law enforcement does everything it can to create a safe environment in Westchester for our citizens,” said Christina Franom, the district attorney’s deputy communications director.
Franom noted that underage drinking and drug use are problems that increase during the waning months of school when students attend proms and the weather warms up. She explained that raising parent awareness is the best first step.
“It’s important not just to be reactive with prosecution, but also proactive to keep things from happening,” said Frantom, who added she hoped the night’s program would begin a dialogue between Westchester parents and their teens.
Tepp agreed, adding that protecting the county’s youths is a community issue that requires the entire community to work together.
“Involve everyone you can,” she said. “It’s all about dialogue.”
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